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The ITF Guide To Metal: Early Metal
 

In The Flesh's picture
HF
(Neanderthal, 2,809
 
Points)
 on 9/4/12 at 10:30pm
sabbath.jpg

Looks like I ignited some controversy over my post on “Heavy Metal Is Saving Society.” If you read the ensuing comments, you’ll see many of the common arguments and defenses about this type of music that some would even consider to be an identity.

We’ve got the passionate fans who will eloquently defend it (UFOInsider and yours truly, among others); we’ve got the people who sadly believe the dismissive stereotypes of metal as angry music for serial killers; we’ve got the usual debates over what is considered “metal” and what isn’t, and of course, which of the Big Four is the best.

If any of that flew over your head, might I kindly offer you my services?

You see, heavy metal has been raging Onward for more than forty years, and there is a burgeoning bevy of resources available for both the hardcore fans and the uninitiated alike. For an introduction, I can’t recommend filmmaker Sam Dunn’s work enough; his documentary “Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey” is perhaps the definitive heavy metal documentary, and its follow-up, “Global Metal,” is just as good.

Here is my effort to introduce you to the myriad forms of expressing…the heavy metal identity.

A disclaimer, especially to any elitists who are reading: I’m pretty much a metal hippie and refuse to take a verbal dump on any bands—I seriously like almost everything. This is meant to be as accessible as possible, with regard to the historical context and the stuff going on now. This guide is going to introductory, for the uninitiated.

And now…let us begin.

EARLY METAL AND HARD ROCK

These are the great standard-bearers of old, the height against which all the others are measured. If you’ve had any exposure whatsoever to the genre of heavy metal, there’s a pretty good chance it’s one of these. The reason is the considerable overlap between heavy metal and classic rock, as you’re likely to hear any of the below acts on a classic rock station.

Most fans probably wouldn’t contest the “official” birth of heavy metal to be 1970, with the arrival of Black Sabbath. However, early influences are not limited to Ozzy Osbourne and company.

If you wanted to go back even further to the very beginning of heavy metal/hard rock and probably the seminal hard rock song, you’d have to go back to 1964, to the brothers Ray and Dave Davies, of The Kinks. Although Van Halen’s cover version re-popularized it years later, at the time the unparalleled fuzzy snarl of the main riff inspired guitarists the world over.

It was only a tiny glimpse of what was to come. For most of the 1960s, popular music was largely safe and polished, epitomized by The Beatles, but by 1967 music was becoming more political, more bluesy, and more, dare we say it, angry. The root of all heavy metal (and rock and roll, for that matter), is blues music, and though neither group lasted very long, Blue Cheer (from San Francisco) and Cream (from Great Britain) were introducing a unique blend of blues rock, drenched in psychedelic haze, that would be the most important influence upon early metal.

The very earliest hard rock and heavy metal scenes in the United States had their centers in San Francisco, home of Blue Cheer and also Iron Butterfly, both of whom contributed seminal early recordings to the development of the genre. Iron Butterfly, one of the forefathers of the psychedelic genre, made its mark with “In A Gadda Da Vida,” complete with epic-length drum solo and all. Steppenwolf also rose to prominence with its signature song, “Born To Be Wild,” establishing what would a trademark heavy metal theme: riding around on a motorcycle and roaring down the highway. It’s also the first instance of the words “heavy metal” being used in a popular song.

In Detroit, a different scene was developing, something much more raw and primal than the hippies over on Haight-Ashbury. When listeners first heard The Stooges, they didn’t want to sit back and light up a blunt…they wanted to break something. Considered one of the first punk bands, even before the Sex Pistols made punk rock a phenomenon in England, the Stooges and their contemporaries in MC5 were especially influential upon thrash metal, hardcore and the other more extreme heavy metal subgenres.

Ultimately however, The Stooges were too volatile to last, and they split as the drugs and violence took their toll. Later hard rock and heavy metal superstars like Alice Cooper and Ted Nugent would enrapture audiences with splendid live theatrics, the former with a well-known “travelling horror show” aesthetic and the latter with a yowling, I’m-from-Detroit-and-I’m-here-to-party stage presence that hasn’t really waned. Just witness the below! Detroit—gotta love ‘em.

ACROSS THE POND

Over in Great Britain, a trifecta of the most influential hard rock/heavy metal groups would emerge, all from poor/working-class industrial neighborhoods and sporting a long-haired, tough-as-nails attitude that would deflate the drug-fuelled hippie culture of the time.

Led Zeppelin:

Deep Purple:

Popular and influential as they were, Led Zeppelin isn’t usually considered “heavy metal” per se; Deep Purple is a bit more debatable.

But where the debate pretty much ended, of course, was with a British band in a class all by itself…Black Sabbath.

Starting out as a blues cover band called Earth, it took a terrible tragedy for the band (and the entire genre of heavy metal) to really take off. When he was working at a steel-cutting factory operating one of the machines, lead guitarist Tony Iommi didn’t pull his hand back in time, losing the tips of his second and third fingers on his left hand. Undeterred, he actually fashioned new tips for himself made out of molded plastic and rubber and had them surgically grafted back on. He also switched to using banjo strings on his guitar and played more power chords since both were easier on the fingers.

The result was a thick, dense, heavy tone that drove people nuts. Incredibly, it took this tragedy for Black Sabbath to really take off.

And what many consider to be the first heavy metal song, like a horror movie set to music, is the song that caused Earth to change its name to Black Sabbath. Just look at that album cover. Creepy, no?

And yet, people loved it. Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward found themselves the center of a new genre, which Rob Zombie describes as, “Everybody who plays heavy metal is playing Black Sabbath, whether they realize it or not. They might be playing it a little faster, a little slower, a little upside down…but they’re playing Black Sabbath. They wrote every single cool riff. Ever.” Another fan told me once that he considered Black Sabbath to have written every single type of heavy metal just on their first three albums (largely true, but not quite).

Loud. Dark. Crushing. Powerful.

Heavy Metal, the greatest music on earth, was born.

Today, Black Sabbath has announced a full reunion that has only been marred by Tony Iommi’s diagnosis with cancer. The worldwide tour was announced and then cancelled due to the news, although the new studio album is still on the table. When and if it drops, headbangers around the world will rejoice, as this crowd at Birmingham did in 2012.

Feel free to add on to the discussion on early metal in the comments, or if I missed one of your favorites, go ahead and add it! Horns up! See you next time.

Head of Metal Website: www.headofmetal.com https://twitter.com/headofmetal2012
Tags:

Comments

FeelingMean's picture

Best post in a long time.

VC
(Gorilla, 650
 
Points)
 on 9/4/12 at 11:15pm

Best post in a long time. Good stuff ITF. Glad to see Blue Cheer getting the nod.

I would kindly like to add Hawkwind...

Looking forward to the next installment, I am sure there will be a lot to discuss for the 80s.

"That dude is so haole, he don't even have any breath left."

Going Concern's picture

i admire your dedication, i

(King Kong, 1,694
 
Points)
 on 9/5/12 at 7:56am

i admire your dedication, i really do - few have any real dedication to anything these days - but to be fair, the kinks, steppenwolf, cream, led zeppelin, billy joel, and the beatles are not heavy metal.

as a side note (unrelated to metal), cream's most famous song happens to be one of my all time favorite tunes.

and my favorite led zeppelin song is about as close to heavy metal as the beach boys

And I think it's gonna be a long, long, time

Macro Arbitrage's picture

Just recognized my inability

HF
(King Kong, 1,369
 
Points)
 on 9/5/12 at 2:02am

Just recognized my inability to distinguish between classic rock and classic metal after seeing Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Cream listed in this thread. Great bands, nonetheless.

RIP DIO

"I swear, by my life and my love of it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine."

MMBinNC's picture

You could watch Metal

CD
(Neanderthal, 2,156
 
Points)
 on 9/5/12 at 6:46am

You could watch Metal Evolution on VH1 if you are more interested in this topic. It's a great series about the history of metal and including roots (like Deep Purple), offshoots (Grunge) and classic heavy metal. One thing I noticed when watching it was no popular band wants to really be considered metal. Zeppelin wouldn't eve let the dude interview them because they didn't want to be associated with metal.

Reality hits you hard, bro...

In The Flesh's picture

Going Concern: i admire your

HF
(Neanderthal, 2,809
 
Points)
 on 9/5/12 at 9:13am
Going Concern:

i admire your dedication, i really do - few have any real dedication to anything these days - but to be fair, the kinks, steppenwolf, cream, led zeppelin, billy joel, and the beatles are not heavy metal.

as a side note (unrelated to metal), cream's most famous song happens to be one of my all time favorite tunes.

and my favorite led zeppelin song is about as close to heavy metal as the beach boys

Please point out where I mentioned Billy Joel? :P

Head of Metal Website: www.headofmetal.com

https://twitter.com/headofmetal2012

In The Flesh's picture

Macro Arbitrage: Just

HF
(Neanderthal, 2,809
 
Points)
 on 9/5/12 at 9:14am
Macro Arbitrage:

Just recognized my inability to distinguish between classic rock and classic metal after seeing Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Cream listed in this thread. Great bands, nonetheless.

RIP DIO

Indeed...wait for the power metal chapter :)

Head of Metal Website: www.headofmetal.com

https://twitter.com/headofmetal2012

In The Flesh's picture

MMBinNC: You could watch

HF
(Neanderthal, 2,809
 
Points)
 on 9/5/12 at 9:15am
MMBinNC:

You could watch Metal Evolution on VH1 if you are more interested in this topic. It's a great series about the history of metal and including roots (like Deep Purple), offshoots (Grunge) and classic heavy metal. One thing I noticed when watching it was no popular band wants to really be considered metal. Zeppelin wouldn't eve let the dude interview them because they didn't want to be associated with metal.

Metal:Evolution is very good, but it's left incomplete because Dunn wasn't really allowed to get into the more extreme subgenres. Easily could have had episodes for death, black, and doom at the very least. But the stuff he was allowed to cover was excellently done. Seconded.

Head of Metal Website: www.headofmetal.com

https://twitter.com/headofmetal2012

TonyPerkis's picture

More into the hardcore type

AM
(King Kong, 1,575
 
Points)
 on 9/5/12 at 11:07am

More into the hardcore type stuff...mainly for the gym and stuff...but used to be all about it back in NJ during HS

Metal needs more respect on this forum...c-3po and r2d2 having sex is getting to be a bit ridiculous to be counted as music anymore

I eat success for breakfast...with skim milk

Wasserstag526's picture

Led Zeppeling FTW!! Despite

CF
 
Points)
 on 9/5/12 at 10:28am

Led Zeppeling FTW!! Despite the fact that they flat out stole some songs they are still an incredible band. Notable mention should go to Danzig as well. Misfits were awesome and the early albums of Danzig were great

'We're bigger than U.S. Steel"

Going Concern's picture

In The Flesh: Going

(King Kong, 1,694
 
Points)
 on 9/5/12 at 10:38am
In The Flesh:
Going Concern:

i admire your dedication, i really do - few have any real dedication to anything these days - but to be fair, the kinks, steppenwolf, cream, led zeppelin, billy joel, and the beatles are not heavy metal.

as a side note (unrelated to metal), cream's most famous song happens to be one of my all time favorite tunes.

and my favorite led zeppelin song is about as close to heavy metal as the beach boys

Please point out where I mentioned Billy Joel? :P

right next to the part where it says that any artist with a guitar is heavy metal...i just love tom petty and the heartbreakers, joni mitchell, rush, david bowie, the clash, kansas, etc etc...all the heavy metal greats

And I think it's gonna be a long, long, time

Frieds's picture

Flesh, Technically, Billy

AM
(Neanderthal, 2,531
 
Points)
 on 9/5/12 at 10:49am

Flesh,

Technically, Billy Joel tried his hand at that Heavy Metal. He had a band called Attila. This isn't to be confused with the Georgia-based band formed in 2005. Joel's exact quote on the band -

End of the sixties, I was in a two-man group. We were heavy metal, we were going to destroy the world with amplification, we had titles like 'Godzilla', 'March of the Huns', 'Brain Invasion'. A lot of people think [I] just came out of the piano bar... I did a lot of heavy metal for a while. We had about a dozen gigs and nobody could stay in the room when we were playing. It was too loud. We drove people literally out of clubs. 'It was great, but we can't stay in the club'

It also didn't hurt that Attila was one of the worst mistakes ever in the history of rock. So go figure on that one.

In The Flesh's picture

Wasserstag526: Led Zeppeling

HF
(Neanderthal, 2,809
 
Points)
 on 9/5/12 at 11:02am
Wasserstag526:

Led Zeppeling FTW!! Despite the fact that they flat out stole some songs they are still an incredible band. Notable mention should go to Danzig as well. Misfits were awesome and the early albums of Danzig were great

Danzig is great. Difficult to categorize him. Misfits were definitely punk, but Danzig has elements of doom, shock rock, and other things...

Head of Metal Website: www.headofmetal.com

https://twitter.com/headofmetal2012

In The Flesh's picture

Going Concern: right next to

HF
(Neanderthal, 2,809
 
Points)
 on 9/5/12 at 11:03am
Going Concern:

right next to the part where it says that any artist with a guitar is heavy metal

Which I wrote...where, exactly?

Head of Metal Website: www.headofmetal.com

https://twitter.com/headofmetal2012

Wasserstag526's picture

In The

CF
 
Points)
 on 9/5/12 at 11:05am
In The Flesh:
Wasserstag526:

Led Zeppeling FTW!! Despite the fact that they flat out stole some songs they are still an incredible band. Notable mention should go to Danzig as well. Misfits were awesome and the early albums of Danzig were great

Danzig is great. Difficult to categorize him. Misfits were definitely punk, but Danzig has elements of doom, shock rock, and other things...

Yea his Samhain stuff was cool as well a shame he parted ways with Rick Rubin and his music took a nose dive.

'We're bigger than U.S. Steel"

Going Concern's picture

In The Flesh: Going

(King Kong, 1,694
 
Points)
 on 9/5/12 at 11:12am
In The Flesh:
Going Concern:

right next to the part where it says that any artist with a guitar is heavy metal

Which I wrote...where, exactly?

seeing as you didn't provide an explanation of how you are defining heavy metal, instead dropping the names of various documentaries, one has to read between the lines from the examples you included

And I think it's gonna be a long, long, time

In The Flesh's picture

Wasserstag526: In The

HF
(Neanderthal, 2,809
 
Points)
 on 9/5/12 at 11:13am

Head of Metal Website: www.headofmetal.com

https://twitter.com/headofmetal2012

Wasserstag526's picture

In The

CF
 
Points)
 on 9/5/12 at 11:15am

'We're bigger than U.S. Steel"

In The Flesh's picture

Going Concern: In The

HF
(Neanderthal, 2,809
 
Points)
 on 9/5/12 at 11:25am

Head of Metal Website: www.headofmetal.com

https://twitter.com/headofmetal2012

In The Flesh's picture

Wasserstag526: In The

HF
(Neanderthal, 2,809
 
Points)
 on 9/5/12 at 11:29am

Head of Metal Website: www.headofmetal.com

https://twitter.com/headofmetal2012

Wasserstag526's picture

In The

CF
 
Points)
 on 9/5/12 at 11:34am

'We're bigger than U.S. Steel"

MMBinNC's picture

Can't take Glenn Danzig too

CD
(Neanderthal, 2,156
 
Points)
 on 9/5/12 at 7:04pm

Reality hits you hard, bro...

In The Flesh's picture

^ Ouch...

HF
(Neanderthal, 2,809
 
Points)
 on 9/6/12 at 9:36am

Head of Metal Website: www.headofmetal.com

https://twitter.com/headofmetal2012

princessofthedawn's picture

To talk about the beginnings

(Chimp, 1
 
Points)
 on 9/8/12 at 8:07pm
In The Flesh's picture

princessofthedawn: To talk

HF
(Neanderthal, 2,809
 
Points)
 on 9/8/12 at 8:47pm

Head of Metal Website: www.headofmetal.com

https://twitter.com/headofmetal2012

detergent's picture

To be honest, I think my

 
Points)
 on 9/9/12 at 3:36pm
In The Flesh's picture

detergent: To be honest, I

HF
(Neanderthal, 2,809
 
Points)
 on 9/9/12 at 7:48pm

Head of Metal Website: www.headofmetal.com

https://twitter.com/headofmetal2012

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